Omicron variant now second-most contagious known disease

The omicron variant of the coronavirus is now the second-most contagious known disease, behind only measles, said Claudia Hoyen, co-director of infection control for University Hospitals, Report informs referring to Akron Beacon Journal.

“The thing to know about this variant is that it is so much more contagious,” she said. “It is currently the second-most contagious virus on the plane. And so it's just very important for people to understand that we are in a much different position than we actually even were two weeks ago.”

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the omicron coronavirus strain had been identified in 106 countries.